The 2025 winners of the RIBA National Awards

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced the winners of the RIBA National Awards 2025 for architecture.

The awards, which have been presented since 1966, recognise the best of UK architecture and provide insight into the country’s design and social trends.

Winning projects range across every corner of the country, from the Isle of Wight to Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The winners, from Astra Zeneca’s monumental curved “triangular” research facility (the Discovery Centre) to London College of Fashion’s striking “vertical campus” in Stratford, were diverse.

The power of architecture to influence and transform communities was central to many of the projects.

Appleby Blue Almshouse in Southwark showcases how thoughtful sequencing can foster communal interaction and thereby reduce social isolation.

Similarly, Hazelmead, Bridport Cohousing is designed to cultivate an open, connected community for its 53 homes.

Meanwhile, the red-brick Sidcup Storyteller has become a focal point in the high-street regeneration of the area, while the fire damaged Sheerness Dockyard Church has been sensitively restored into a vibrant community facility.

Restoration and conservation were prominent.

In London, the Elizabeth Tower, home to Big Ben, stands as a masterpiece in conservation and heritage preservation, while the renovation of the Young V&A in East London takes a dark site into a bright, energising cultural destination.

In Scotland, the sensitive restorations of two Grade A listed buildings, Aldourie Castle Estate and Fairburn Tower, highlights the merits of local skills and traditional techniques.

Commenting on the winning projects, 2025 RIBA Awards Group Chair, Simon Henley, said: “Congratulations to each of this year's RIBA National Award winners.

“Each of these 20 winning projects is a powerful testament to the diversity and depth of our profession.

“They demonstrate how architecture is not just a creative force, but also central in addressing some of the most pressing challenges of our time.

“This year’s winners reflect the many and varied ways architects are being asked to work, and their incredible motivation and breadth of expertise.

“As a profession, we now look to the past as much as the future, and to care and repair as we do to build.

“We continue to innovate but we also seek continuity, and in so doing to make work of every scale that is engaging and thoughtful.

“The power of architecture to transform society and inform our way of life is on full display in every winning project.”

Pic by Max Heptonstall